Werewolves Of London
by gothangelic
Summary: Over a year after graduating from Hogwarts, Sirius rediscovers something he's lost while wandering the streets of London. SB/RL


Title: Werewolves of London  
Author: gothangelic  
Date: 10/31/02  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin  
Disclaimer: They're not mine. They're Ms. Rowling's.  
Summary: Over a year after graduating from Hogwarts, Sirius rediscovers something he's lost while wandering the streets of London.  
Notes: Welcome to my 1am inspiration. It is now 440am. Happy Halloween. Dear god, it's not NC-17!?

A slightly rainy weekend afternoon found Sirius Black wandering aimlessly through the streets of London. The rain was barely falling; it was just enough to mist over the air, and make everything smell damp. The weather wasn't really bad. It was quite warm for this late in the season.

His days off happened to coincide with Halloween this year. It was surprising how many people were still walking around in costume. It seemed that the rain really did nothing to discourage the young and the young at heart. He walked past a vampire in a long violet batwing cloak, and rounded the corner. And nearly ran into the fuzz-and-latex werewolf mask that he faced. He muttered an apology, and wandered on past the costumed person.

He snorted, smiling suddenly. _I wonder where Moony is right now_, Sirius thought to himself, looking down to watch his feet move against the damp concrete sidewalk. He'd lost contact with his childhood friend, and later, lover. Remus J. Lupin. The one that he'd hurt so terribly with his prank on Severus Snape. The one who'd forgiven him so readily. The one he'd become an illegal animagus for. His Moony. His Remmy. His Remus.

His smile grew as he remembered his soft full lips, and those warm, inviting, soulful amber eyes. Where had he disappeared to after graduation? He hadn't become an Auror like Sirius had. _He couldn't. The Ministry had jumped down his throat for even considering that line of work. He was a beast to them, after all. Bastards._ Remus had come back from the Ministry late in his seventh year in tears. The Ministry of Magic refused to employ him, and threatened to lock him away if he came back. Sirius still held the Ministry in very low regard because of that incident. The only reason Sirius even worked there was the compulsion to fight the Dark Lord.

That seemed to be the only thing holding his life together just then. A year out of school... _Where am I supposed to go from here?_ He walked out of the drizzling rain into a small shop. Sirius strolled slowly through the shop, not really seeing what he was looking at. Something nipped at his consciousness, and he looked up without really knowing why. The front window of the shop spanned the entire width of the front room. It was fingerprinted along the left top bottom edge, and the gold lettering was partially gone. Someone stopped in front of the window, looking a bit lost. His shoulder-length golden brown hair fell in a wave about his fine-boned face. Even from a distance, Sirius recognized the warm amber eyes of the last man he expected to see, but the only one he wanted to see just then.

Remus was staring at a colourful piece of worn paper, turning it this way and that. He was looking at a map on part of it. Something on the back was circled in red. It took Sirius a moment to realize that it was a Chinese menu in his hand. The name above the map, he saw as Remus turned, was _Le-ho-fook's_, and that he had circled the beef chow mein. He glanced up out of the corner of his eyes, and met Sirius' eyes with his own. Sirius could've sworn he saw the corner of those delicious lips quirk up in a partial smile. Then Sirius blinked, and the vision of Remus was gone. The thought of losing Moony again was what spurred him into action.

He all but ran out of the shop that he'd walked into, looking about frantically for the specter that he'd just seen. _Am I going insane? Did I just see who I thought I saw?_ Sirius searched desperately until well past dark, but Moony left no trace of himself, except his smell, which seemed to be everywhere he went, haunting him with conjured memories of the past; of soft hands, and gentle words of reverence, and loving kisses burned into his body.

Just as the street lamps were coming on, he gave up. There was a glow in the distance: a bar, it looked like. Trader Vick's, the half-burnt out neon sign proclaimed. _What could a few drinks to kill old memories hurt?_ he figured, running a hand through his damp black hair. _I just spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening wandering the streets of Soho, looking for a ghost. Sirius, you idiot._ He made his way toward the bar, half-listening to the conversation of an older couple walking out of the pub next to _Trader Vick's_.

"Some poor soul was ripped apart last night, did you hear? Bobbies reckon it was a serial killer... But there's something they're not tellin. I know there is. Hoodlums can't just rip a woman to shreds like that. Heard it was a werewolf from right here in London!"

"Stop reading those tabloids, woman!"

Sirius nearly stopped at this, but made himself walk on. _Just get to the bar, and order a drink. You'll feel better afterward._

The bar was relatively well-lit, as far as bars go. It was small and cramped, but warm and dry; it seemed friendly enough. Sirius took a seat at the counter, and nearly asked for a butterbeer. "Brandy," he said, just loud enough to be heard. 

There was a television mounted on the corner of the room, above the bar. An old black and white horror movie was being shown. Bella Lugosi as the wolf man, he recognized. And Lon Chaney, after Lugosi's character had bitten him... A commercial appeared next, and a picture of Lon Chaney as a wolf man was shown walking next to the Queen Mother. Sirius almost snickered. Everything today seemed hell bent on making him think of his former lover. He would've laughed, had it not been so depressing.

As his drink was handed over, his mind wandered. He remembered the first time he saw Remus. He and his best friend James Potter had just gotten off the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Sirius took one look at the small boy, and turned to whisper in James' ear. "You'd better stay away from him. You'll get your lungs ripped out Jim!"

James had merely shrugged at this. "How do you know?" Sirius couldn't explain it, but he knew that Remus was different from the moment he stepped off that train. "C'mon, Siri, don't be afraid. I'll hold your hand if you want." James smiled.

"Sod off, you great wanker..." Sirius had muttered, and sucked up all his courage. He and Remus were fast friends, and that surprised him. Just one more thing he had James to thank for. A few years later, something about their friendship changed. They found out halfway through first year that Remus was a werewolf. James, who remembered Sirius' comment from the very first day, was slightly shaken, but took it in stride. That was the year the Marauders were formed, and started researching animagi.

A voice from beside him startled him out of his memories. "A piña colada, please." Sirius was almost afraid to look up to see the owner of that voice. He was afraid that if he looked, it would be someone else, or a ghost that would vanish the moment he saw him. The bartender set the drink down on a square napkin and pushed it to the man, who had taken the seat next to him.

After another agonizing moment, he made himself look up, hoping to every great god and wizard he could remember that it was Remus, and he wouldn't disappear again. Familiar amber eyes that seemed to laugh at him stared back. Sirius could barely breathe. He didn't move for a moment. When Remus smiled, full out, he melted. It was all he could do not to break down and kiss the man right there, and run his fingers through that perfect hair once again.

"It's been a while, Padfoot." Sirius couldn't contain his grin. He nodded.

"Where've you been all this time, Moony?" In a voice that was barely above a whisper, he added, "God, Remmy, I missed you so much." Remus' smile seemed to sweeten, and his eyes softened with tears that nearly fell.

"I was in Kent for a while. Then Mayfair. They didn't agree with me," he said sadly. "You weren't there." He took a long drink of his piña colada, then looked back up at Sirius. Siri downed his brandy, needing something to stabilize him. The warm burn of the alcohol distracted him just enough that he didn't spill his guts out in the middle of the bar to Remus. But gods, he looked edible. Sirius had a moment where he wanted to ask to meet Remus' tailor. But he regained his mind, only to lose it moments later as he fell completely in love all over again.

"We need to catch up with each other, Remus. A year is a long time." Remus smiled and nodded, his eyes focused on his drink. Sirius leaned over, ignoring the stares he got from the other patrons, and whispered into Remus' ear, which he knew drove the man wild. "I intend to make up for each minute that we lost. I never should have let you go, love." Remus shivered.

"What are you asking, Siri?"

"I'm asking for you, Moony. I want your heart back. I want to wake up next to every morning for as long as I live. But we can start small. Come back with me to my flat? Please?"

The piña colada was left at the bar, forgotten. Two more seats were vacated. A five-pound note was left on the bar. And a playful howl echoed through the streets of Soho.

"Awooooooooo!"

Werewolves of London.

Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon

Saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand  
He was walking through the streets of Soho in the rain  
He was looking for the place called Le-ho-fook's  
For to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein.

  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...

  
You hear him howlin' 'round your kitchen door,  
You'd better not let him in.  
Little old lady got mutilated late last night.  
Werewolves of London, again.

  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...

  
He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amuck in Kent,  
And lately he's been overheard in Mayfair.  
"You'd better stay away from him, you'll get your lungs ripped out Jim!"  
I'd like to meet his tailor.

  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...

  
I saw Lon Chaney, walking with the queen.  
Doing the werewolves of London.  
I saw Lon Chaney, Jr., walking with the queen.  
Doing the werewolves of London.  
I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vick's.  
His hair was perfect.

  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...  
Ahhwwwooooooo... werewolves of London  
Ahhwwwooooooo...


End file.
